


Craobh

by Brennuvargur



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Magic, Nymphs & Dryads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 03:57:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17154863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brennuvargur/pseuds/Brennuvargur
Summary: Tony finds a boy in a tree





	Craobh

**Author's Note:**

> Craobh /krɯːv/ - Scottish Gaelic meaning tree. Thanks to Sarah for her beta services and cheerleading!
> 
> Written for the 2018 Starker Exchange as a gift for Thereisnocureforwhatweare <3

“But why did they leave it in the middle of the forest?”

“They probably thought that would hide their trail better, as if the scanners aren't picking it up from miles away.” Tony squeezed the handle of his ATV, increasing the speed of the vehicle and pulling ahead of the one carrying Pepper and his advisor. Tony preferred to drive his own. He was eager to reach the center of the forest and see the damage for himself, but the path wasn't exactly smooth.

The track they were driving was overgrown with branches and roots, a leftover from the company that had owned the forest a decade ago. The land was slowly reclaiming the trail that lay like a big wound through the thick woods, and their ATVs were struggling to force their way through it.

Tony's company had bought this land a few years back with no clear plan of what to do with it. Probably for tax reasons, whatever that meant. It would come in handy now though, when Tony needed a large spot of land to build his new particle collider. It was a personal project which was why he was here himself to oversee things. He was glad for it now, when they found out that the previous owners had left them a little radioactive “gift” in the heart of the forest.

“Oh my god, what were they thinking?” Pepper said as she stepped off the vehicle that had been carrying her and the advisor. James something, maybe?

She was right, it wasn't pretty. The company that had owned the land before them had been about to go bankrupt, along with some other legal issues. Clearly, they'd been trying to hide their wrongdoings by dumping them in the forest. They, being the previous owners. The effect could be seen on the neighboring trees, spreading from the center and out through the forest. 

“Radiation levels?” Tony asked the adviser who was holding a measuring device. Not a Geiger counter, Tony hated the noise they made.

“Acceptable. Still, we shouldn’t stay here for too long,” the man (Joseph? Jordan?) said, looking nervously at the clearly labelled hazardous waste sitting 10 feet in front of them.

Tony spent the ride back thinking about the best way to get rid of the waste, doing as little damage to the forest as they could. They’d have to do numerous surveys to see if the forest could even recover from this or if it was just lost land now for the next 50 years.

Maybe there was something he could do. Tony had bought this land, he felt responsible for it. The trees… They were his to take care of now.

“Grab a tree, I want to take it back to the lab.” 

“You want some samples?” the man (Jeffrey? It was definitely Jeffrey. Jeffrey... something.) asked. Tony rolled his eyes. 

“If I wanted a sample, I would’ve said a sample, don't you think so, Jonah?”

“Tony…” Pepper reproached, giving him that look. “His name is Martin and-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony cut her off. “Tree, my lab, roots and all. I want that one.” He pointed. He didn't know why he was so sure that was the right tree, but it was. Tony revved up his ATV and called back as he drove away. “Thank you, bye!”

❧

When Tony came down to his lab at the compound, the tree was standing in the middle of the room, dirt spreading out from where it had been placed. That couldn't be good for it, Tony thought. It was such a nice tree, the trunk thick and sturdy, the branches reaching far and covered in beautiful green leaves. It was-

Suddenly there was movement somewhere in the dense leaves overhead. Tony waited a while and even brought out his heat scanner but couldn't find anything. Maybe a squirrel had accidentally come along or something.

Now, to take care of the tree…

❧

Five hours later, Tony had broken a hole into the concrete floor of his lab to get to the earth below, and managed, with some difficulty, to get the enormous tree planted in the ground. He dug out some lamps and lights to mimic the sun, quickly whipping up a timer for the switches. There, that was better, wasn't it? It seemed like the tree was… happier.

… That was ridiculous, how could a tree be happy? Tony wasn't sure where that thought had even come from. He brought the tree here to study the radiation damage, not to… whatever that had been.

Tony turned away from the tree, ignoring any rustling sounds that might or might not be coming from it (damn squirrel) and focused on his work, analyzing chemicals from the soil and from a leaf he had picked up from the ground. 

He was just placing the leaf under a microscope to do some preliminary testing, when he heard a light thud behind him. It sounded almost like-

“Let me go, mortal.” The voice was light but harsh, though not as commanding as the words it spoke. Tony turned around and he immediately did a double take. 

It was… a boy? So beautiful that Tony almost thought he was a young woman at first, but no, a boy. He was wearing a deep blue gown of sorts, barely more than just flowing fabric, tied in at the waist and falling loosely off his shoulders almost like an afterthought, and accentuating his pale skin. His brown hair was dotted with flowers, almost like they just grew there. And his brown eyes were fierce and focused on Tony, a wooden bow in his hands, an arrow notched and pointing straight at Tony's heart.

“Hey, whoa, calm down there Legolas,” Tony said, raising his palms up placatingly at the stranger standing in front of him. “Who are you? How did you get in here?”

“You will release me. Now.” The boy was biting out his words, furious and feral, his eyes wild and flitting around the room but always coming back to Tony. The arrow however, stayed absolutely still and pointed at Tony.

“Sure, the door is over there,” Tony said, pointing to the lab exit. The boy’s eyes did not follow his gesture.

“Release me,” he repeated in the same tone.

“I’m trying?” Who was this wild child? This almost felt like a prank, but Tony was pretty sure everyone in his life knew better by now.

“My home! You’re killing her. If you don’t let us go now, I will sink this arrow and its sisters into your chest.”

“That’s very unnecessary, you can leave if you want to. In fact I would very much like you to leave.” Tony still had his hands up because the kid looked almost unhinged and Tony was in fact not arrow-proof. Happy was going to get an earful from him when Tony got to him. And his ‘home’ what did that even mean?

“I cannot leave! I cannot leave, you have my craobh!” This time the arrow started trembling in the boy’s hand as he got more agitated. The shoulder of his gown fell down to bunch at his elbow, revealing the skin of his chest, the hint of a nipple.

“Your crew? I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m sorry,” Tony said, thinking that it was best to go along with this maniac, at least while he was holding a sharp object. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. My name is Tony Stark, what’s your name?” Tony dared a small step forward. A mistake.

“Stop! Do not come any closer!” Tony immediately froze. The boy stood in front of the tree like he was protecting it, coming between it and Tony.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” 

“You humans are all the same,” the boy said, more to himself than to Tony. His eyes started darting around the room again. “Tony Stark?” Tony nodded.

“Look, I think this is all a big misunderstanding, if you just put down the weapon we can come to some kind of agreement, I’m sure.”

“Misunderstanding?” the boy sneered. “Did you not rip this tree from the forest where it belongs?”

“Well technically I-”

“Didn’t you?!”

“... yes, I suppose that’s one way to put it.” He wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything anyway, but he knew better than to say that. “If you’re some kind of environmentalist, we can-”

“Then you have killed it! You have killed my craobh and me with it.” Tony was getting tired of constantly being interrupted mid-sentence. However, his curiosity was piqued just a little by that statement.

“I brought the tree here to try to figure out a way to heal it and the whole forest. How does that kill you, exactly?”

“…heal it?” The boy finally let down his bow, seeming uncertain for the first time, as if his confidence earlier had all been bolstered by his ferocious rage. He stepped towards the tree and put a hand on it.

“Yeah, see,” Tony pointed at where he had broken through his lab floor to plant the tree into the earth below. “I’m not trying to kill it, I’m trying to keep it alive, fix all the radiation damage that’s been slowly killing the forest.” 

“So that’s what… Hm.” The boy’s hands ran over the trunk of the tree and Tony thought he could hear a low humming sound as he did so. He would blame it on one of his machines maybe being out of sync, but he really knew better, and had better hearing than that. It was coming from the tree, and when the boy had turned, his hair had fallen in a way that exposed his very much pointed ears. What the hell had he gotten himself into. 

“What’s your name?” he asked again.

“Oh,” the boy said, turning back to Tony, the humming sound dissipating when he removed his hands from the tree. Had they been glowing too? “My name is Peter.” Tony really was too old to notice how pretty the boy looked when he wasn’t threatening to kill him. He was also too old to keep glancing down to see the pink nipple peeking out from the slipping gown.

“Nice to meet you Peter,” Tony said, not offering his hand. “Do you want to work with me on figuring out how we can save these trees?”

The boy looked at him for a moment, and then back to his tree. “I do,” he finally answered, with such finality that Tony almost felt like he’d just gotten married without knowing it.

They stood looking at each other for a long moment, Tony trying to remember what his plan had actually been. There was something about the boy, whatever he was, that made it impossible to take your eyes off him. Yes, he was beautiful, but it was something more.

“You are a healer, then?” the boy asked. Tony didn’t quite know how to answer.

“I’m a problem solver, and I think I can figure out how to save your cr- your tree.”

“Good. Do it then.” Peter climbed up on one of Tony's workbenches and sat down, looking at him expectantly.

“I… it's not that simple, first I need to figure out what's wrong with it.” Peter just looked at him, his bright, brown eyes narrowing the slightest bit.

❧

Tony didn't feel the fatigue as he worked through the night analyzing samples using all his sophisticated machines. It wasn't really out of the ordinary for him to work long hours. He eventually had enough information to figure out exactly how the nuclear waste was affecting the trees, and more importantly how to fix it.

He’d read up on recent research by some promising academics, and it was simple enough to adapt and enhance their methods to fit his needs. Fit their needs, he thought, uncomfortably aware of the gaze at the back of his neck. Peter never seemed to get bored or tired watching Tony. He simply sat, still like a… well, like a tree.

“I think I've figured out how to reverse the damage. I just need to synthesize the uh, antidote, for the lack of a better word. It's really just a protein-based-” He was cut off by the sudden appearance of Peter. No human could've moved that fast. What was he?

“Show me,” the boy said, his intense face only a few inches from Tony's, even though he had reflexively stepped back when Peter had appeared in front of him.

“I… uh,” he trailed off. Why did Tony keep getting lost in Peter's eyes? Tony cleared his throat, trying to gather his thoughts again. The boy never even blinked as he watched him. “I'll synthesize a sample to use on your tree,” Tony said, swallowing hard. He noticed that his skin was starting to feel strangely clammy, considering the environment. He carried on speaking. “It will work on your tree because we've taken it from the environment where the toxins are. We'll need to remove the waste from the forest before we can administer it to the others, I haven't decided on the best method to do that yet, it would probably be easiest to clear a path through the trees and-” Again he was cut off.

Tony had been rambling, like he did when he wasn't sure people could keep up with how fast his brain was going and he just wanted to get everything out of the way. It had been going well until suddenly he found himself held up against the tree by his throat, his feet dangling uselessly beneath him and his vision quickly starting to fill with black spots from the lack of oxygen.

“You will not. Touch. Any of the trees in that forest. In any forest. Do you understand?” The playful innocence was gone from Peter's face, replaced by something far more sinister than just anger.

Tony found he couldn't speak to answer, so he just nodded his head vigorously and hoped that would be enough, as Peter’s hand crushed his windpipe together.

“Good,” the boy said, his voice still containing some of the coldness from earlier. He let go of his grip on Tony's throat, dropping him unceremoniously back down. He had held Tony's entire weight with just one hand. “Now will you show me the cure?” 

Tony didn't answer, too busy coughing and trying to get the air back into his lungs. When he didn’t feel like he was dying anymore, he turned to his machine, rubbing his neck with one hand, and started working on the antidote, fetching materials and chemicals from a cabinet across the workshop. The boy gradually returned to his inquisitive state, watching every move that Tony made carefully, and even asking questions. They weren't questions Tony understood well enough to have an answer to them, but he appreciated the interest. 

There was a short wait while the antidote was being synthesized, where Tony finally allowed his gaze to rest on the boy again. He wasn’t sure why he felt so drawn to Peter, but he wanted to find out everything he could about where he came from and what he truly was. The boy was beautiful, that much was undeniable, but there was something otherworldly about him too. Tony wanted to touch his skin to see if it was really as soft as it looked. What a stupid thought.

“So… What are you?” Tony asked conversationally as he pretended to be busy with the machine so he wouldn’t need to look at Peter.

The boy shifted a bit on his feet before answering, the material of his clothing rustling with the movement. “You wouldn’t understand, humans do not know my kind anymore.” 

“I’ve seen some weird shit, you know. Monsters, aliens, gods,” Tony said, shooting the boy a smile. “Try me.” 

“I am a guardian of the forest,” the boy said simply. 

“Okay… and what does that job description involve?” 

“Taking care of the plants and animals in my forest.”

“Hm,” Tony said, and before he could stop himself, he added, “well not to be blunt, but your forest wasn’t exactly in the best shape when I got there.” He immediately regretted his words, because the boy didn’t become angry like he had expected, had been preparing for. Instead he looked down at the ground, hunched in on himself, somehow becoming even smaller than he already was.

“I know…” Peter said, taking a deep breath. “Before you came, I had been sleeping. I slept for a while. Too long.”

“And how long would that be?” 

The boy paused to think. “Around three-hundred years, I think. Give or take.” 

“Give or take. Right. So since about the industrial revolution, then?”

“I remember… there was a weird smell. So I thought I would have a small nap and it would be gone by the time I woke up.” It was adorable how the ancient boy’s nose scrunched up as he was trying to remember.

“Clearly that didn’t work out for you.” There was a thunk from the machine between them and both of them jumped slightly. “Never mind, we can fix your tree now. Your, uh, crew.”

“Craobh,” Peter corrected, as if Tony would get the difference. 

“Yes, that,” Tony replied as he got out the freshly synthesized mixture. “It will take a while to synthesize enough for the whole forest, but let’s see if this works on your… friend.” As far as he could tell, the best way for the tree to absorb the antidote would be through its roots, but if he used a spray bottle on the tree they could probably at least tell if it was working or not. Tony went and got a bottle and a spray nozzle, and then sprayed generously all over the tree. The mixture didn’t smell unappealing. It smelled sort of neutral, a little bit like lotion. “Let’s see if this works.” 

“I will know.”

“Of course you will.”

They stood close together, watching the tree expectantly for a few moments. Tony didn’t really see anything happening, but he noticed when Peter perked up. He placed a hand on the tree and this time Tony definitely saw them glowing and heard the humming sound, though the sound seemed a bit higher pitched now, a little bit more pleasant.

Peter put his other hand on the tree and the humming intensified still more. His eyes were closed and a small smile played on his lips and Tony thought he’d probably never in his life see anything as beautiful ever again. 

“Good?” Tony asked, after Peter hadn’t said anything for a few long moments. His eyes opened slowly and met Tony’s. They were glowing, and Peter was glowing, and the whole lab was lit up with the intensity of it for a few bright moments. Then it faded back down to the faint glow that just enhanced and emphasized Peter’s beauty.

“You did it,” Peter smiled. Tony couldn’t look away from the boy. “You healed us,” he said and then suddenly Tony found himself with an armful of ageless forest guardian, arms and legs wrapping around Tony’s body, and holding on tight. 

“You’re welcome, buddy,” Tony said awkwardly, unsure of how to react. People threw themselves at him all the time but not often quite so literally. He lifted one hand to pat Peter’s back. It felt warm and the material of his long tunic was smooth, especially for something that was over 300 years old apparently. When he dropped his hand again he brushed up against a soft thigh, as the material had ridden up the boy’s thighs when he’d wrapped himself around Tony. 

Tony fought the urge to put his hands there and feel the soft skin again.

“Peter…?” Tony asked, when Peter didn’t move from his position, his face buried in Tony’s shoulder. 

Peter lifted his face then and met Tony’s gaze head on, so open and intense 

“Tony Stark, I want you to be my mate,” he said, as if that explained anything, and then he was kissing Tony and Tony kissed him back automatically, because it was all he had wanted to do since the first moment he’d seen the creature who emerged from the tree. Tony’s hands finally settled on Peter’s strong thighs around Tony’s hips, and slid up to his ass to hold Peter’s weight and pull him closer.

Peter kissed like a force of nature. He knew what he wanted, and he was determined to get it, his tongue working in a way that Tony had trouble keeping up with. There was no slow teasing or caressing, no gradual build up. Tony let himself get swept up in it for a moment, only reacting in response to Peter's movements. When he got his bearings though, Tony took control of the kiss, slowed it down until Peter was mewling into his mouth and rubbing against Tony.

He spent half a second wondering if this was a good idea, if he should ask what exactly Peter had meant by “mate,” if this was even the right time or place for something like this. Only half a second though, because then Peter was dropping his feet down to stand again in front of Tony, wasting no time to push him backwards until Tony's back hit the tree. Peter was so strong, so much stronger than he looked, stronger than Tony himself.

The boy immediately pressed back up to bring their lips together again, eager and insistent. He nipped hard at Tony's lips, pressed his tongue into Tony's mouth to run over his teeth, the roof of his mouth. Tony tried to respond, to slow down the kiss again, but this time he was unsuccessful. Peter started tugging at Tony's shirt as if he were frustrated with it, huffing out an annoyed sound when he had to break the kiss to give it his full attention. Tony lifted his arms intending to assist Peter in getting the shirt off but then he heard a ripping sound and felt the cool air on his chest.

“That's fine, I didn't like this shirt that much anyway,” Tony said to no one in particular, because Peter was too busy pulling the material off Tony's shoulders and moving to his pants. Those he actually did like, so he gripped both of Peter's wrists with his hands, stopping him. “Hey,” he said, waiting for Peter to meet his eyes. “There's no rush, darling.” Tony let go of the boy's wrists and unbuttoned his pants before pulling them off and throwing them to the side. He lifted a hand to Peter's face and brushed back his hair. “You really are the most exquisite thing I've ever seen,” Tony said and pulled Peter closer, turning so that now Peter was the one held against the tree.

Tony held him there and started kissing down the inviting length of neck that was on display for him. The keening noises Peter made as Tony sucked on the sensitive skin there only spurred Tony on. 

Peter's hands were insistent on Tony's body, trying to pull him closer or encourage him to go faster but Tony never relented. Their rhythms seemed so different, Peter wanting something rough and fast and animalistic, instant gratification, while Tony just wanted to worship at the altar of this beautiful boy who he still wasn't completely sure wasn't just a fever dream or hallucination.

“Please, Tony,” Peter begged so pretty, and Tony's cock throbbed in response. He was surprised to find that he'd gotten almost completely hard just from this rhythmless rutting. He wasn't exactly young anymore and that hadn't happened for him for a good few years now.

“What do you want, darling? Use your words,” Tony teased back, pressing Peter harder into the tree and putting a thigh between Peter's legs to feel the hard source of Peter's desperation.

“I want you to take me, mate me, please,” Peter said, pushing his hips against Tony's thigh and letting out the prettiest sigh. Tony smiled at the sound and the desperation he could see in Peter's hooded eyes.

Tony ran his hand up Peter’s body, from hip to pale throat, enjoying how the boy squirmed in response. He moved the hand down a pale shoulder to push down the fabric that still clung to Peter’s shoulder, feeling the smooth, soft skin of the boy's body. The fabric only fell to Peter's waist, where there was a tie to hold it.

“Is that better?” Tony asked, unable to stop his teasing when the boy responded so beautifully to it.

“No,” Peter grumbled, but he had stopped trying to push Tony to go faster.

“I really wish I had a bed here to spread you out on,” Tony said, bending over a little to leave kisses on Peter's chest, pausing to gently bite and tug at one nipple and then the other. His beard left angry red marks on Peter's sensitive skin.

“Nnh- I forget how sentimental you humans can be,” Peter said, breathing hard. His strong fingers were digging into Tony's shoulders and Tony hoped they would leave a mark, so that he'd know this hadn't all been just a dream. 

“Us humans?” Tony asked, biting harder down on Peter's chest, leaving a little set of teeth marks around a nipple. Peter let out a sinful moan and arched up into Tony's mouth.

“Yes,” he breathed. “You humans. Though I've not touched one of you in half a millennium, but you change very little over time.”

A hot streak of jealousy and possessiveness shot through Tony at the thought of his nymph with someone else, even if it had been half a millennium ago. It was irrational and that made it burn even more. “I'll make you forget about all of them,” Tony promised hotly, standing straight again and lifting his hands to work at the tie around Peter's waist.

“You might,” Peter said, cupping Tony's face with both hands and looking at him with such unparalleled openness in his face that Tony was stunned for a moment. How could he look so young and innocent, while at the same time having so much wisdom and knowing shining from his eyes? “Stop dawdling,” the boy said, pushing at the gown, which slipped down his hips and to the ground, now that Tony had loosened the tie.

He looked like a painting, was Tony's first thought. The flowers in his hair, the pale unblemished skin, the long limbs, the almost unearthly beautiful face. But none of the masters could've captured Peter's beauty, Tony was sure of it. All the angels and cherubs and heroes, they were all pale imitations. Nothing compared to the boy in front of him.

“Stop staring. You're starting to bore me,” the boy quipped, and was he blushing? God it only made him more exquisite, and Tony wanted to savor him. Tony reached a hand up to brush against his cheek. 

“I can't help it,” he said simply.

The boy huffed, and it was just so adorable that Tony gave in, kissing him sweetly once on the lips before moving down his body. He dropped to his knees in the dirt, feeling like a 25-year-old again when his knees didn't protest. He nipped at the skin low on Peter's stomach, his tongue dipping into the divot of his belly button, making the boy squeal.

Tony still couldn't stop himself from teasing the boy when he made his way down to his erection. He left kisses on his thighs and his stomach, scratching at the sensitive skin with his facial hair, everywhere around but the place Peter wanted most, judging from the way he squirmed and tried to press his hips forward, his fingers clenching in Tony's hair.

“Tony…” the boy choked out and it was as close to a whine as her gotten so far. Tony looked up at him, trying to suppress his pleased grin.

“Yes, darling?”

“Stop teasing,” the boy said and pulled on Tony's hair, hard.

“Hmm…” Tony said and pretended to think about it. “No.” Then he went back to where he'd left off, grinning at the frustrated moan Peter let out.

Slowly he got closer and closer to the pretty cock in front of him. First sucking gently on the small balls hanging underneath, then a short lick from base to tip, making Peter's thighs tremble.

It was, just like the rest of Peter, the prettiest little cock he'd ever seen. Small, but proportionate. Pale but flushed crimson at the head, and Tony couldn't resist sucking lightly on the head for just a moment, holding Peter's hips back so he couldn't thrust forward.

He tasted like spring.

There was no hesitation in Peter when Tony finally swallowed him down, and Peter lifted one leg to rest on Tony's shoulder, giving him even more access to Peter's most sensitive areas. Tony had no difficulty taking his entire length into his mouth and down his throat, even if he was a little out of practice. Maybe it was just like riding a bike. 

Peter didn't last long when Tony started swallowing around him, working him with his tongue and his hand. Tony had worked him up so much that he wasn't surprised when his mouth was suddenly flooded. Peter had given no warning except to tighten his hands in Tony's hair and throwing his head back in a low moan. Tony swallowed it all, sucking him down until Peter started twitching and squirming away. 

Tony moved off his cock and ran his hands up the boy’s thighs, feeling the slight sheen of perspiration there. He slid them up to knead at the hard muscle of Peter's ass. Tony had been mostly ignoring his own dick until now, but he couldn't deny what he wanted. The only problem was that he wasn't 30 anymore, and so he hadn't kept lube in his workshop in years. He tried to think if there was anything that could be used in an emergency, absently pulling apart the cheeks and rubbing one finger against the rim of Peter's ass. Another way to tease the boy. Except what met him was… wetness?

He looked sharply up at Peter, who was resting his head against the tree and seemed blissed out. Tony brought his hand back in front of his face to see what it could be.

It was a slick liquid, like from a woman. It smelled like Peter though. It tasted like him too.

Finally, Peter looked down at Tony, his leg still hanging over Tony's shoulder.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing,” Tony smiled and stood up easily. “You're just different from what I'm used to.

“I am,” he agreed simply. “Are you going to fuck me or not?” Peter asked then, grabbing hold of Tony's cock tightly with one hand. Tony couldn't decide if it felt good or not. Peter’s request had made him almost choke on his own spit.

“I am,” Tony said when he had recovered, mirroring Peter's earlier words and smiling. 

Peter pulled him in for a kiss, a filthy collision of tongues and teeth, licking out the traces of Peter's come from Tony's mouth.

“Get on with it then or I'll choose someone else to be my mate.” Peter dropped to the ground onto his hands and knees, offering his ass to Tony.

As Peter had pointed out so many times, Tony was definitely human. And no human would've been able to resist this offering. So, for the second time, Tony dropped down to his knees onto the dirt around the tree, in his lab where really any number of people could drop in at any time, even in the middle of the night. Well, okay, so it was only three people who had the clearance to get down here, but still. 

“Well, if you insist,” Tony said and put his hands back on Peter's ass to spread his cheeks, exposing his hole to Tony's gaze. It was pretty and pink and made Tony's mouth water. It gleamed with the slick the boy seemed to be producing. Tony didn't question it too much like most other things that had happened in the past 12 hours. He'd probably eventually wake up from this fever dream, but for now he was going to enjoy it.

Peter's surprised gasp was worth it, when Tony licked a long stripe from his balls and up to his hole. The strange slick that was coming from Peter's hole and running down towards the back of his thighs tasted similarly to Peter's come, but it was hard to describe. It reminded Tony of being stood outside in the garden at his parents’ manor as a child and breathing in deeply and smelling the flowers and trees in bloom, but there was also something deeper, something spicy and dark. 

Tony licked teasingly around Peter's hole, pulling at his cheeks to get better access. He circled it with his tongue before sucking on it, relishing the little punched-out gasps and moans that came in response. He dipped his tongue inside a few times teasingly, until Peter's hole was practically dripping with slick. Tony pulled back, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand before pushing two fingers inside Peter. He pushed them slowly in and out as he searched for Peter's prostate. Not that he could be sure that Peter even had one, considering the variations from normal human biology the boy already showed, but then his fingers ran over a spot that felt a little different from the rest, and Peter's back arched dramatically in response.

“Sensitive?” Tony asked.

“Stop playing around already!” Peter demanded, pushing his ass back at Tony, grinding against his fingers. 

This time, Tony decided that Peter was right, and pulled off his underwear to finally free his cock. There was a large wet spot on the front where he'd been leaking profusely while he'd been teasing Peter. He was impressed with himself, he had gotten hard ages ago and stayed that way the whole time he'd been teasing Peter. The boy seemed to have that effect on him.

Now, his erection jutted out from his body, insistent and determined. Tony gave himself a few strokes to take the edge off before turning back to Peter.

“Turn over,” Tony commanded, and Peter did as he asked, revealing the boy's flushed face and wet eyes, and oh, a stain on his stomach, dripping down his toned abdomen. He'd come again just from Tony's mouth on his ass? Tony had to squeeze himself again to keep himself from the edge. “Good. Beautiful,” he said, brushing the dirt from Peter's knees. He positioned himself between Peter's legs, pushing them up so that Peter was nearly bent in half. “Are you ready, darling?”

“I've been ready for around a century and a half it feels like,” Peter grumbled, and Tony took the opportunity to press his cock inside in one fluid motion. Peter gasped in surprise, and then in pleasure, as Tony filled him to the hilt. He circled his hips, grinding deep inside Peter and against his prostate, making the boy throw his head back and grasp for purchase in the dirt.

“Fuck, you take it so well, such a good boy for me,” Tony said, almost delirious from the tight squeeze of Peter's ass on his cock. He moved his hips in short thrusts at first, while he was getting used to the sensation. Peter's natural slick eased the way as good as anything Tony had ever used. Peter's legs wrapped around Tony's middle, pulling him closer.

“I'm not a boy,” Peter said, his eyes dark and pupils blown wide.

“I know, I know you're not,” Tony said, leaning down and licking into Peter's mouth, nipping at his lower lip. “But you're still a good boy for me.” Tony knew Peter would roll his eyes at that, so he preempted it with a hard thrust of his hips, punching another sound wrenched from Peter's throat.

Tony built up to a rhythm, fucking into Peter in long strokes, pulling out until just the tip of his cock was holding Peter's hole open, and then thrusting in hard. He was trying to make himself last, but something about Peter made him feel almost like a teenage boy again, ready to come at the slightest touch. Peter was growing hard again, and Tony took hold of him in his fist, moving his hand in rhythm with the snaps of his hips.

“You gonna come again, baby?”

“Nn- not yet, not yet,” Peter chanted, as if he were trying to hold off. Tony took it as a challenge. Peter never held back any sounds, as if he'd never learnt any shame, and Tony reveled in making the boy produce the most beautiful noises. Tony rubbed his cock slowly against Peter's prostate, watching the precome drip from Peter's cock and Peter let out filthy moans, he slammed in hard and Peter gasped as if each thrust was a shocking surprise, he moved slowly and delicately and Peter grew impatient and pulled him closer with a needy whine.

“You're gonna come again,” Tony said, holding himself up over Peter with one hand in the dirt next to Peter's head, while the other moved to Peter's cock, Tony's thrusts becoming more urgent. He was getting so close and he just wanted to let go. One of Peter's hands grabbed a hold of Tony's forearm where it was holding him up, moving down to touch Tony's fingers.

The wounded cry Peter let out when he came for the third time that night was almost enough to push Tony over the edge, as Peter whined and clenched around him, spilling between them and landing hot on Tony's abdomen and Peter's. His whines became even more pronounced as he twitched with every one of Tony's thrusts until Tony finally let the overwhelming wave of his orgasm take over him. He gave a few final thrusts, Peter crying out and twitching from overstimulation with every drive of Tony’s hips. He still managed to pull Tony even closer with his legs around Tony's waist, and holding him there as Tony rode out the last of his pleasure, finishing deep inside Peter. He collapsed on top of Peter, fevered skin against fevered skin, sweaty and sticky from Peter's come, lying in the dirt in Tony's lab, and he didn't even care. He couldn't even bring himself to move them to a bedroom. His last coherent thought, after reaching for his jacket to use as a blanket for them, was that even though this was probably a dream or a hallucination or maybe something even more sinister, he just wanted to hold Peter as close as he could for as long as he could.

❧

Tony wasn't surprised when he woke up alone the next morning. He was a little surprised that he wasn't in his bed having had the most vivid dream ever, but the lab was the next logical place.

None of the evidence left behind could really prove whether he'd been alone in the night or not. There was no trace of Peter, except the dried come on Tony's stomach, and could Tony really prove that it wasn't just from him? DNA testing dried come was going a bit far, even for him. 

Tony very much felt the shame along with the walk, as he made his way back towards his living quarters from the lab, covered in bodily fluids and dirt.

When he'd showered and gotten dressed, Tony felt much more alive again. He didn't even feel as stiff and sore as a man his age should feel after having spent a night on the ground. 

So, life went on as usual. Tony tinkered in his lab, fielded calls from board members and investors and magazines and Pepper, and tried to ignore the illogical ache in his heart.

He synthesized enough antidote for the whole forest, got some contractors to helicopter in and take away the radioactive waste, telling them in no uncertain terms to be careful with the landscape. He still kept that one tree in his lab, reminding him every day of his strange dream. He had tried running every sort of test on the tree he could think of and found no evidence of magic or a hidden boy. 

Just as well, probably, Tony thought, pretending not to feel the pain of the emptiness eating away inside him.

When the whole forest had recovered enough for Tony's satisfaction, he finally brought the tree from his lab out. The craobh. It didn't belong inside, in a lab away from the sunshine, stuck with Tony’s artificial lighting. It deserved the best spot in the whole forest.

Pepper didn't understand, but didn't question it, when Tony went himself and planted the tree, in the center, right where the toxicity had been. Hopefully, it would help the forest thrive, Tony thought as he turned to leave.

Tony hadn't allowed anyone to come with him for this. It felt too personal, too raw. He'd dug the hole himself, lifted the tree in and planted it, using only his own two hands (and a bit of technology).

Because he knew he was alone, Tony immediately swung around when he heard a voice from behind him, because nobody should be there, and he shouldn't hope, shouldn't crush himself that way, and yet…

“...Tony Stark.”

“Peter?” Tony said, stunned. 

Peter looked just as gorgeous as he had those three long weeks ago, just as otherworldly, just as-

He was engulfed in a hug, Peter's strong arms coming around his middle and holding Tony in a way that reminded him that Peter was so much stronger than him. Tony lifted his arms to wrap them around Peter's smaller frame, leaning in to kiss the top of his hair as they held each other close. Something in Tony seemed to click together.

Finally, after a few long moments, they pulled apart. There was something different about Peter, but Tony couldn't tell straight away what it was. Something in how he carried himself, how bright his eyes were.

“How… what…?”

“I lost too much power when my craobh was inside, and I was so tired still from my long sleep. I'm back now, you woke me up again.” He smiled, making Tony's heart ache with… affection? Love? How could he love someone he'd only spent one night with? “You woke me up again, and you've saved the whole forest. I'm so proud of you.”

“I thought you were just a dream, I thought I'd never see you again.” Tony brushed the wild hair out of Peter's face, stroking his cheek with a thumb.

“You're my mate, I could never leave you,” Peter said as if that explained anything. Maybe it sort of did.

“I don't know what that means when you say it. Mate...”

“I guess humans don't have that concept anymore,” Peter hummed. He raised his hands up to cup Tony's face. “You are my mate because you are mine. You are mine and I am yours. I chose you and you accepted.”

“I accepted,” Tony repeated questioningly. He could feel that he had, he could feel some kind of connection between them that was supernatural in a way he'd never felt before. But he didn't understand how it had happened.

“You accepted, so part of my magic enveloped you, protects you, so that you can live a long life with me and give me many children.”

“Children?” Tony sputtered, taken aback. That shouldn't even be possible… but none of this should be possible.

“Yes, children. I've been putting it off for far too long and now I've found you, my mate.” Peter laid a hand on his belly, as if he were already- oh god. 

“This… this is a lot.” Peter simply looked at him, as Tony battled with all this new information, looking at his hands as if the answer would be written there.

“Do you wish to break the bond?” Peter asked, and Tony looked up at him. Peter's expression was guarded, back to the cool, distant creature he'd been before. It felt so wrong, Tony wanted to do whatever he could to make it right and bring back the soft, smiling Peter from before.

“No, no, I'm just trying to understand.”

“Tony Stark,” Peter said, stepping close again and kissing Tony softly. “Take me home.”

“Peter, guardian of the forest,” Tony replied, a smile pulling at his lips as they parted. 

Tony didn't know what would happen if he chose this, chose Peter. It felt too fast and too unknown and too unknowable. But not choosing Peter would be worse, he knew that with unerring certainty. So, he kissed Peter again, putting his arms around the creature who now owned his life. Who was his life. 

Tony picked Peter up in his arms and carried him out of the forest, towards their new life together.


End file.
